Dragon Riders
by Fantasychik2692
Summary: Daniella and her father are two ordinary people living in the horrible empire Bolagias. When a comon elder gives then dragon eggs, their lives begin to change. Daniella learns more about her father's mysterious past, and finds out what may happen later
1. Chapter 1

There once lived a massive Empire known as Bolagias, where humans, elves, dwarves, and dragons lived in harmony. They all shared the land, and the mountains, and every once in a while, one human, elf, or dwarf, would be blessed with a dragon egg that will one day hatch for them, and dragon and partner would bond for life.

One young boy, Isaac, was one of them. He had hooded brown eyes that were like two pools of mud. His silky, wavy, black hair was worn in a style that reminded you of a mysterious hood. To many people, he was strange; he talked to himself, and never talked to anyone else. His life, to many, was just as mysterious as he.

Then one day, a dragon blessed him with an egg, one that was the color of cold ash. When the dragon hatched, together, they plotted for their takeover of the empire. They traveled to a far-off island known as Chitho, where many monsters joined them in their reign.

Once he was much older, Isaac, his dragon, Sepenorth, and his new army of monsters raided the castle in Asavaia, and took over. Isaac became the new king, and made many lives miserable. Most of the people fled, and made two new empires, one ruled by elves, and another ruled by humans. Together, they helped those tortured by Isaac, in order to keep the rest alive.

In the small town of Ferratrur, there lived a man named Connor, and a woman named Vivian. Together, they ran a tiny farm, with a stallion, a mare, chickens, and cows. A few years after, they had a little girl they named Daniella, who loved the animals as much as her father did. Vivian, however, hated the farm life, but was forced to live that way due to her marriage.

When Daniella was ten, the mare gave birth to a black colt she named Eclipse. The mare, however, died shortly after his birth, so Daniella herself took care of him, with Connor's help, of course. They paid to geld the stallion, a dark bay named Kricket, for the safety of the newborn. As the colt got older, he grew more and more attached to Daniella, so wherever she went, when at a place that Eclipse was allowed to be near, you would always see him with her like a foal with its mother.

One morning, a fifteen-year-old Daniella walked out, finding the air warm, and pleasant. She closed her beautiful sapphire blue eyes, and breathed in the farm-scented air that came from the barn, where the animals waited to be fed. _Today's going to be a wonderful day,_ she thought, as she sauntered toward the old brown doors, and opened them, hearing Eclipse's whinny.

The black horse stood right there, his black head poked out, and a small star in between his eyes looked as if it danced without moving. His gentle brown eyes looked at her, as he whinnied again, and touched Daniella's straight, ebony hair.

"Hey there, 'Clipse," she said as she gently touched his soft nose. "Let me get the others fed, and once I'm ready, we'll go through town like we do every morning."

She entered the chicken coop, where five hens and two roosters sat, waiting to be fed, and the chickens waited for her to take their eggs. There were usually ten eggs, two for each hen, and, usually, half of them were fertilized. However, this time there were fifteen eggs, with five of them fertilized.

"Strange…" Daniella commented. _Whenever there's a different number of eggs, something usually happens,_ she thought. Taking that thought out of her head, she returned the fertilized eggs back in the nests, where the hens would keep them warm until the day they hatch.

Then, the cow mooed, getting her attention. She turned around, and smiled. "Okay, let's get you fed!"

She fed the animals, giving them all the right food; dried corn was given to the chickens, bran and was given to the horses and cow, and Eclipse was given some supplements, for he was still a little weak from not having an actual mother.

"There you go; now time to show this to Dad," she said. Before she left, Eclipse nudged her. When the blue eyes met his brown, she saw him longing to leave. "Eclipse? You know that I have to go with Dad; I have to make sure that he's up and ready to go, first. Go ahead and eat."

She left the barn, and entered the house with the basket of eggs, finding Connor getting a cup of coffee, and Vivian making breakfast.

Connor had a cheerful disposition with chocolate brown eyes to show it. His wavy black hair made him look to be more than just a farmer. He smiled when seeing Daniella, and asked, "So, what do we have today?"

Vivian, her narrow blue eyes blazing at him, said sourly, "You know what we have, Connor; it's always five and five!"

"Not this time, Mom," Daniella said. "This time, we have ten eggs to sell, and five fertilized eggs."

Connor looked at the basket, and said, "Something must be happening today, then." He then smiled even more. "How would you like to go out to town on your own?"

Daniella's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? All by myself?"

"If you think you can handle it."

"No!" Vivian cried out. "No, no, no, no, no! Connor, she can't, not by herself!"

"Why not, Vivian? Daniella's been ready for this for about two years, now, and she needs some time out there, only for a little while, of course."

Daniella grinned, and returned to the barn, where Eclipse was still waiting for her, his food barely touched. "Eclipse, are you ready?" she asked. The horse nickered, as she put on his halter and lead, for they had no bridles, and climbed on, grabbing the basket as he walked out. "We're going by ourselves, for the first time! It'll be great."

The horse began to head toward town, already knowing the route by heart. His long stride made it seem to take only ten minutes, for he was quick when in a walk, and as fast as lightning when galloping. They reached the heart of the town, finding the store to their left. After making sure that Eclipse had no way of leaving, Daniella entered the door, and headed for the counter.

To the opposite of her was the owner, a man who was like a sneaky serpent. Aaron had tiger-like eyes, and brown hair the color of the sand that made up the town. Nearby was an elder-looking man named Evan, whose hair was not gray, but alabaster, and his eyes were steel gray.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the farmer's kid…Daniella, right?"

Daniella forced herself not to glare; she never liked him for the way he made fun of her family.

Evan only smiled, "Hello, Daniella." She nodded to him, then looked at Aaron.

"So, the usual eggs, I suppose?" he said.

"No; we have ten eggs for you," Daniella replied.

The mocking smile that was on his face disappeared, and he backed away. "Oh, no; forget it, kid. Whenever your chickens have a different number of eggs, that means something's gonna happen; and it won't be happening here, so take them away, now!"

"But sir, we need to sell them, and---"

"I said to take them away!"

Daniella was almost to the verge of tears, and she took the basket away from the counter. She walked out of the store, and approached Eclipse with blurry eyes. Noticing these tears, the black horse nuzzled her face.

"Come on, Eclipse, let's take the eggs home, and we can have them instead," she said sadly.

As she climbed onto Eclipse's back, Evan came out. "Daniella, before you leave, may I speak to you?" She nodded. "Don't let Aaron's reaction get to you; he does get very edgy."

"I know, but we really need to sell the eggs, and Aaron's the only person here that'll buy them," Daniella replied.

"I'd be glad to buy your eggs."

"Would you?" He nodded, and suddenly a bag appeared in his hand, as he received the eggs. "How did you do that?"

"It's a little trick I learned while traveling; I hope to see you soon, Daniella."

As he left, Daniella looked at the bag. _This bag feels as if there's more than just Keystones here_, she thought, as Eclipse began to walk home. The thought about whatever else was in the bag made a chill run down her spine. _I just hope it's something that won't cause any trouble._

Connor was outside the barn, waiting for her. Daniella forced a smile, as she slid off Eclipse's back. "So, Aaron bought our eggs, I suppose?"

"No, Evan did," she replied. She explained what happened at the store with Aaron's reaction to seeing the eggs.

"He shouldn't have done that, and Evan didn't have to buy our eggs; it looks as if he paid twice as much than what Aaron would have paid." Connor looked in the bag, and his eyes widened.

"Dad? What is it?" Daniella asked worriedly.

He looked around, then whispered, "He gave us more than just Keystones." He took out a round, cobalt-blue stone. However, Daniella knew that it was more than just a stone.

"A…_dragon_ egg?"

Connor nodded. "We have to keep this a secret; your mother's out in town, so for now we're safe, but when she comes home, you can't tell her."

"I won't."

"That's my girl; now, put Eclipse back, and I'll go out to find Evan to ask him about this."

"All right." Daniella had Eclipse return to his stall, and after taking his halter off, he went to eat his breakfast. She returned to the kitchen, and found not one, but _two_ dragon eggs. the second one was the color of lemons. _Why did Evan give us these dragon eggs?_ she thought. _Does he think that they will help us?_

Then, without thinking, she touched the cobalt-blue egg. It was light, but solid, and, for some reason, Daniella felt as if she was supposed to have the egg. _This is a strange feeling, _she thought. _It's like the dragon and I…_

All of a sudden, cracks appeared on the egg. Daniella quickly put the egg back onto the table, as the dragon emerged. The dragon's scales were cobalt-blue, getting finer and less thick on its limbs. It had a broad body with a short, thick neck. The dragon had elongated limbs with four closely-mounted digits on each foot that end in blunt claws. It had tiny wings. The dragon's head was narrow and it had a tiny mouth that had a pronounced overbite. It had slits for nostrils. The dragon had small eyes that were plum-colored. Its lips were drawn back, making it look like it's smiling. Bony knobs surrounded its nostrils. Two long horns extend backwards from its forehead, and a single horn sat in the middle of its nose.

Daniella backed away from the dragon, as it shook off what looked to be a fell pieces of the shell of its egg, and looked at her. _What happened?_ she thought with worry. _Did I have something to do with the dragon hatching?_

All of a sudden, she heard her father say, "You need to explain to us why you gave…" His voice suddenly lowered. "…_dragon eggs_ to Daniella." The kitchen door opened, and Connor appeared with Evan behind him. When he saw the dragon, Connor asked, "What happened, Daniella?"

"I…I only touched the egg, and it hatched," she replied, worried that her father would be mad at her.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, Dad."

He sighed. "Good; that's all that matters." He then looked at Evan. "You still have to explain to us _why_ you gave them to us."

"I was asked to give them to you; Indygon wants you to come back, and to take your family, too," Evan replied.

"Indygon?" Daniella was somewhat confused. She had heard of Indygon, and its neighboring empire, Afron, but rarely did her father talk about it. "How does Indygon know about my dad?"

"Why, your father helped them out a while ago," Evan replied, with Connor glaring at him.

"Well, tell them that we're not going," Connor said rather coldly.

"Why not? You'll have a better life than the one you live now, and---"

"I'm happy with the life I have now, Evan! I know why they want me there, and I just can't go through what they made me do before."

The way Connor spoke startled Daniella for a moment; she had heard fear and anger, something that she had never heard, before. "Dad?"

He looked at her, then back at Evan. "What they made me do was far worse than what my life is right now; they forced me to do things I completely regret. I just can't have them do it again, and I can't let them do that to Daniella, either."

"It's no longer like that, Connor," Evan replied reassuringly. "There's a new leader, and this one doesn't force anyone to do anything. It's an old friend of yours."

Daniella thought about the farm, and asked, "If we leave, what about the farm? I can't sell Eclipse to another owner, nor can we just leave them all here."

Evan looked at her. "You'll keep your horses, however, you'd have to sell your cow and the chickens."

There was a moment of silence. "How long do we have to make a decision?" Connor finally asked.

"I would suggest to make one by tonight; Isaac will find out about your dragons, and will hunt you down sooner or later," Evan replied

"Why does he want to do that?" Daniella asked.

Again, there was a moment of silence. "We'll explain if you leave," Evan said.

Connor stayed deep in thought. "Vivian can't come; she's…" He shook his head. "It'll have to be only my and Daniella; we'll leave."

Evan smiled. "Very good! I'll see you in only a few moments." He suddenly disappeared.

The dragon, who was right behind Daniella, nudged her with its head, startling her. She jumped, and the dragon looked at her. "Dad, what about Mom, and the other animals?"

"She'll be fine; she's been wanting to leave this farm forever," Connor replied, as he looked at the other egg. "As for the other animals, she'll sell them; I know that she will." He looked at Daniella. "Go grab as much as you can, and come outside to the barn. I'll be right out there with the horses."

She nodded, and went into her room, with the dragon following. A few tears trickled down her face out of sorrow and fear; she had no clue what could happen, and she was upset that she was leaving the farm. _This wasn't what I was expecting to happen,_ she thought, as she grabbed blankets, and returned downstairs to take two canteens. Before leaving, she looked at the dragon. "What will happen from here on out?" she thought aloud.

She saw Connor out by the barn doors with Kricket's lead rope in his hand, and Eclipse nearby. The black horse whinnied, and trotted up to her, nuzzling her shirt. She couldn't help but to smile, as she approached her father, and gave him one blanket, and a canteen. The blankets were placed onto the horses, for they had no saddles, and the canteens were hanging by their shoulders.

"Daniella, are you all right?" Connor asked, noticing a few tears on his daughter's face.

She nodded, and as they mounted, Evan appeared riding a chestnut stallion. "Well, are you ready?"

Connor nodded, and Daniella saw a yellow dragon sitting on the withers of Kricket. This dragon's plate-like scales were the color of ripe lemons, shading to darker on its belly and getting finer and less thick on its underbelly. It had a muscular body with a stubby, wide tail. The dragon had muscular limbs with four digits on each foot that end in very short claws. It had small wings. A row of quills runs from the base of its skull, down its back, to the tip of its tail. The dragon's head was blocky, and it had a tiny mouth with a pronounced overbite and two tusk-like teeth in front. It had giant nostrils located close together. The dragon had round mirror-like eyes that are the color of fine silver. It had tiny, frilled ears, and tendrils surrounded its mouth.

They slowly began to head off toward a long, winding path that lead away from Ferratrur. Daniella just rode with her eyes focused on the dragon in her lap, while Eclipse followed Kricket.

"Where are we going to first?" Connor asked.

"You should decide on that, Connor," Evan replied.

There was a moment of silence, before Connor said, "I have some friends in Ethenum that can help us; it takes two to four days from here."

"All right, then."

Daniella looked at Connor, and noticing her sorrow, he asked, "Daniella, what's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I don't know; ever since we left, I've been sad." She looked back at the blue dragon, who looked at her with sympathy.

"This trip will take us at least two months; do you think you'll be all right with that?"

Daniella nodded, as she wiped her eyes, and looked out toward the path that would lead her toward Indygon. "What is Ethenum like?"

"I can say that it's much nicer than back in Ferratrur," Evan replied.

She looked at Connor, who smiled slightly, and nodded. "I promise that my friends are very kind, and will be very willing to help."

"That's not what I'm worried about," she replied quietly. The tiny dragon in her lap still looked at her, and then climbed onto her shoulders. Its neck began to vibrate, and tickled her own neck, causing her to smile.

Evan looked at the dragon, and said, "Your dragon has bonded very quickly with you, Daniella."

She looked at him, and asked, "How much do you know about dragons?"

"I know quite a bit; I have one myself."

The sun was high in the sky, partially covered by clouds, and the horses began to tire; Eclipse was breathing quickly, for he hadn't walked that far in his life, and Kricket only dragged his hooves in the sand.

Evan looked around, and said, "There's a small river not that far off from here; if the horses can continue a little further, I'm sure that we'll be there in no time."

Daniella looked at her horse, and said to him, "Eclipse, I know that you can make it." He only took a deep breath, then shook his head to rid himself of flies.

It was not that long before they reached the mentioned river. Daniella jumped off, and let Eclipse drink, while her dragon jumped off her neck, and stretched. She looked around, now seeing vast grasslands, and beautiful flowers.

Connor walked up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Daniella, I know this is hard for you, but I promise that I'll keep you safe."

"I know you will, Dad," she replied. "But, I don't understand why Isaac will hunt us down."

Connor said nothing for a moment. "You know that Isaac was blessed by a dragon by being given an egg, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he figured that he could become the most powerful…Rider out of everyone, and started to kill the others. Now he fears anyone else that's blessed with a dragon egg. He doesn't know about those who live in Afron or Indygon, and that's the safest place any Rider can be nowadays."

"That's horrible…"

Connor nodded. "Most of the people that live in Bolagias pray that someone will come and overthrow Isaac, because he'll never age because of being a Rider."

For a while, Daniella stayed silent; she had no clue on what to say. She looked at Eclipse, as he walked up to her, and nudged her gently, and her dragon looked at her, as well.

"Daniella?" Connor looked at her worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Dad."

Evan approached them. "Would you like to continue?"

Connor nodded. "Let's go, Daniella."

She nodded, and climbed back onto Eclipse after her dragon climbed back onto her shoulders.

They continued at a quick trot, wanting to get as far as possible by nightfall. Daniella began to have an eerie feeling, as if something was going to come at them at any moment.

Suddenly, they heard a loud cry, and Connor looked up instinctively, and said, "Daniella, get out of here, now!"

Daniella looked up to see a large creature that looked similar to a man, but was gray, and had large, leathery wings. "Come on, 'Clipse!"

Her black horse bolted, and began to run as fast as possible, away from the strange creature. She looked at the blue dragon, who looked up, and glared, growling as a second one appeared, following her closely.

As they were about a mile away from her father, the dragon jumped down from Daniella's shoulders, landing on its feet.

"Oh, no!" she cried, worried about losing it. "Eclipse, stop!"

Her horse slowed, and turned to face the dragon, who was growing instantaneously. It was now about three times as tall as Eclipse, and about four times as long. Its cobalt-clue scales shown in a metallic sheen, and its wings grew from being tiny to being enormous. It glared at the gray creature, and roared, causing Eclipse to rear suddenly. The dragon jumped, standing on only its hind legs, and grabbed the strange beast, killing it with ease.

When the creature was nothing but gray ashes, the dragon turned to face Daniella, who was looking up at it with fear, awe, and amazement. Eclipse began to back away, terrified of the dragon.

_What happened?_ Daniella thought, as the dragon lay on the ground, looking at her with content in its eyes. _Did the dragon grow to save my life?_

"I have grown to save you, Daniella," came a voice, as the dragon looked at her even more.

"D-did you just…?"

"Yes, you can understand me; dragons and Riders can listen to each other privately, and hear each other's thoughts."

"How did you know my name?"

"I overheard your father speaking to you." He looked at Eclipse. "Tell him that I mean no harm."

She looked at Eclipse, who's nostril's were flared, and his hooves were pounding in the grass that still flourished on the land. "Eclipse, it's all right." He shook his head, his eyes showing their whites. "He doesn't trust you, yet. What's your name?"

"My name is Abimo." He looked back at Daniella. "You are worried; dragons can sense others' emotions, especially our Riders."

Before Daniella could say anything else, she heard, "Daniella!" Behind Abimo, off in the distance, was Connor, followed by Evan, and above them was his yellow dragon.

"Dad!" she called out, as the yellow dragon flew over her. Kricket jumped when he saw Abimo, and Connor almost lost his balance; however, with a little urging, he got to Daniella, and asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Dad." She looked at the ashes. "What was that thing?"

"It was a Gargoyle," Evan replied.

"I thought that only live on Chitho."

"That's where they're supposed to be, but ever since Isaac convinced them that they could rule Bolagias, they've made other decisions, leaving the island to come and help Isaac rid the Empire of all Riders. If it weren't for your dragons, the gargoyles would have killed you."

I looked up at Abimo. "Thanks."

He blinked slowly, and as Connor's dragon still soared overhead, Connor looked at it, and said, "The town's not that far away; we can get there by nightfall."

"When we get there, your dragons can't be seen; some people are loyal to Isaac, and will tell him that you're Riders, or that you're still alive," Evan said.

Daniella nodded, and looked at Abimo. "I will hide only if it means that you will be safe."

"Please," she replied.

They continued toward town at a canter, with the dragons staying high above the ground so that they were well hidden from anyone to see. Eclipse's ears were flickering constantly, trying to hear anything that would have been considered a threat. Daniella stayed balanced in her seat, and every once in a while, she would glance at her father, worried that something was going to happen.


	2. Chapter 2

-1They reached Ethenum as the sun began to set. As they walked through the gates, Daniella couldn't believe how big it was, and she couldn't help but to say, "Wow…"

Connor looked at her, and smiled; he'd been wanting to take Daniella out to see Ethenum for a long time, because he knew that she'd be surprise to see it. "Is this what you were expecting, Daniella?" he asked her.

"No; this is much bigger!" she replied with awe in her voice.

"It gets bigger the closer you get into town," Evan replied.

She looked at her father, and asked, "Dad, who's this friend we're looking for?"

"He's a really good friend of mine, Hudson," he replied.

"You've mentioned about him before; and I think I saw him a few years ago." She remembered seeing him when she was twelve.

"That's right; he came to visit that day."

They reached one house while Evan went to an inn to find a room, and Connor knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" came a booming voice, startling Daniella.

"Hudson? It's me," Connor replied.

The door opened, and a man came out. He had beady eyes the color of varnished wood, and silky, straight, medium-length hair the color of valuable rubies. When he saw Daniella's father, his eyes widened. "Dear Lord…Connor?!" he said in amazement. "You're actually out of Ferratrur?"

"Yes, but not for the reason you think." He put a hand on Daniella, and Hudson smiled.

"My God…Daniella, you've gotten so big since I last saw you! You were taking care of a foal, am I right?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir." Eclipse, who was behind her, nickered at the sound of her voice.

"Where are my manners?! Put your horses in my stable and come in!" Hudson suddenly exclaimed. He helped put the horses away, and they went inside, ready to talk about Connor's reason for coming.

Hudson's living room was unlike anything that Daniella has ever seen. The floor had comfortable carpeting, and the walls were a soft dark green. There were windows that were covered by delightful-looking velvet curtains.

"Now, tell me why you're here all of a sudden!" Hudson said as he motioned for them to sit.

While Connor explained what happened, Daniella looked around before hearing Abimo's voice.

_"Daniella, where are you?"_

_"I'm at my dad's friend's house. Why are you curious?"_

_"I was worried."_ There was a moment of silence. _"How long are you planning to be there?"_

_"I don't know; we might have to spend a night here."_ She felt his displeasure. _"Abimo, this is important; Hudson might be able to help us get to Indygon."_

_The sooner we leave, the better. I do not like having to wait."_

_"I can tell."_

"…So we need your help," concluded Connor.

"How am I supposed to help?" Hudson asked. "I got my house to take care of; I can't possibly go with you."

"You're the best smith I know; if anything, you'd be helping out this empire. No more Isaac will be good for all of us."

There was silence, before Hudson said, "I have to think about this. In the mean time, stay here for the night; I got two rooms that aren't in use right now."

"Thanks, Hudson."

He led Connor and Daniella to two rooms upstairs, Connor to one on the left, and Daniella to one on the right.

This room was very similar to the living room, only the walls were painted a light blue, and there was a comfortable twin-sized bed that, when putting your head on the pillow, you'd easily fall asleep.

Daniella sat on the bed, wondering if Hudson would help. She knew that he was a good friend of her father's but as of right now, she didn't know if she could trust anyone but Connor, maybe Evan. She didn't think about that for long, for she felt her head land on the pillow, and she closed her eyes, falling asleep with ease.

She woke up at the crack of dawn out of habit, and stretched, watching the sun rise. She took a deep breath and looked around, seeing herself in Hudson's guestroom. Feeling lonely, she tried to contact Abimo.

_"A-Abimo?"_ she said.

_"Daniella?"_ was his response. _"What is it? Are you hurt?"_

_"No; I just need to talk with someone."_

_"Oh…" _Abimo sounded relieved. _"You seem worried."_

_"I'm not sure about trusting anyone else anymore; now that I know why many people don't like Isaac…"_

_"I can understand; from my understandings, he has killed many dragons in order to make sure that there would be no more Riders."_

_"Abimo…"_

She heard him make a small laugh. _"Do not worry; that tragedy is not the most important thing."_

Then, Daniella heard someone knock on the door. "Daniella, can I come in?" It was Connor.

"Yes, Dad," she replied. He came in, and when she saw the worry on his face, she asked, "Dad, what is it?"

"We can't stay long; Hudson's agreed to come with us, but we have to be quiet when we leave. Apparently someone told Isaac that we're still alive."

Worry began to flow within Daniella. "A-all right."

When he noticed the quiver in her voice, he asked, "Daniella, what's wrong?"

She shook her head. _"Abimo, we're going to be leaving,"_ she said to her dragon.

_"You are? Has anything happened?"_

_"Someone told Isaac about us."_

Connor and Daniella left the room, and found Hudson with all of his things packed. "Have you told Evan?" he asked.

Connor nodded, and looked at Daniella. "Go get Eclipse and Kricket ready."

She nodded, and hurried to the stable to get the two horses ready, while Hudson took care of his own horse, a bay stallion with a white star. Once they were ready, they hurried out of the town, with Evan not far behind after they passed the inn. When they were out of the town, and far away from any viewing eyes, Abimo and Connor's dragon flew over them, making sure that noting was there to hurt them.

As soon as they had their horses stop, the dragons landed, surprising Hudson. "Dear Lord…I don't remember the last time I saw a dragon like that…"

"It's been a while, let's stick with that," Connor replied, smiling. It comforted Daniella to see a smile on her father's face; ever since the dragons came, he wasn't like himself until now. She looked at Eclipse as she slid off his back, and he nickered, nudging her with his nose.

She looked at Evan and Connor, and asked, "How much longer do we have before we get to Indygon?"

Evan looked in the direction they were heading. "It's a little over twenty miles from here. If we take our time, which we may or may not have to do, then it'll be about a month."

_A month…_ she thought, as she looked at Abimo.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A month's a long time," she replied to him only.

"Are you worried?"

"A little."

He smiled. "You need not to be worried about anything; I am here to protect you, and protect you is what I will do."

She couldn't help but to smile at his words, and looked at Connor, who was petting Kricket's neck. The old horse sighed, and then gently nudged Connor in affection.

"When will we see Talzorth, Evan?" Hudson asked the old man.

"I'm not sure…dear Lord, I haven't spoken with him in ages," he replied.

"Who's Talzorth?" Daniella asked; it was a habit of hers to be curious.

Evan smiled. "That's my dragon; he's been in Indygon for a while, and we've lost contact for quite a while."

"Is it common for…Riders to lose contact with their dragons?"

"No, actually; dragons normally spend their entire lives with them. However, due to a predicament, we were forced to separate for a while."

Daniella looked at Abimo, who said, "I will not leave you, Daniella."

She nodded, as many thoughts buzzed in her mind. _What else is going to happen? Will we be accepted into Indygon? And if we are, then will any of the people there betray us?_


End file.
